PHOENIX — A Circle K store clerk in Phoenix allegedly shot a man in "self-defense" early Thursday morning, authorities said.
The incident happened shortly before 2 a.m. at a store near 35th Avenue and Greenway Road.
Preliminary information suggests the clerk got into an altercation with the man before the clerk shot him, according to Phoenix police. The man had wanted to buy something but the store was closed at the time, resulting in a "scuffle" between the man and clerk.
The wounded man was taken to the hospital and treated for serious injuries. The clerk has been released from custody and the case will be submitted to the Maricopa County Attorney's Office for review, police said.
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How big is Maricopa County?
Maricopa County is the United States’ 4th largest county in terms of population with 4,485,414 people, according to the 2020 Census.
The county contains around 63% of Arizona’s population and is 9,224 square miles. That makes the county larger than seven U.S. states (Rhode Island, Delaware, Connecticut, Hawaii, New Jersey, Massachusetts and New Hampshire).
One of the largest park systems in the nation is also located in Maricopa County. The county has an estimated 120,000 acres of open space parks that includes hundreds of miles of trails, nature centers and campgrounds.
The county’s seat is located in Phoenix, which is also the state capital and the census-designated 5th most populous city in the United States.
The county was named after the Maricopa, or Piipaash, Native American Tribe.
